Shoe polishing machine



April 29, 1969 w. A. BECK ET AL SHOE POLISHING MACHINE Sheet of 3 FiledMay 10, 1967 i 0 Mad 5 7 $3M m /W M 4. Z

April 29, 1969 w, BECK ET AL SHOE} POLISHING MACHINE Sheet Filed May 10,1967 April 29, 1969 w. A BECK ET AL 3,440,676

SHOE POLISHING MACHINE Filed May 10, 1967 Sheet 3 of 3 cZ -ji UnitedStates Patent SHOE POLISHING MACHINE William A. Beck, River Hills, andWilliam F. Kruke, Cedarburg, Wis., assignors to Beck, Inc., Grafton,Wis.,

a corporation of Wisconsin Filed May 10, 1967, Ser. No. 637,564 Int. Cl.A471 23/05, 23/06 US. Cl. 1531 16 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Theinvention relates to a coin operated shoe polishing machine in which thepolish in the form of an aerosol spray is applied to a rotatingpolishing brush at intervals during the polishing cycle. A pressurizedspray can of polish is mounted for rotation in an inclined plane and atgiven intervals during the cycle, an actuating member is moved into thearc inscribed by the rotating can, and the discharge nozzle of the canrides against the actuating member to discharge polish onto thepolishing brush.

In the past, coin operated shoe polishing machines of various degrees ofcomplexity have beenused in commercial establishments such as hotels,depots, airports, auditoriums and the like. In most polishing machinesof this type the polish, either in a liquid or solid form, is applieddirectly to the shoe to be shined. For example, in one common type ofmachine the polish is applied by spraying liquid polish directly on theshoe which is placed in a recess in the lower end of the machine. Amachine of this type is not entirely satisfactory in that if the shoe isnot placed within the recess at the time the polish is sprayed duringthe automatic cycle, the polish will'spray directly on the floor.Another problem with a machine of this type is that the polish isfrequently sprayed onto the customers stockings or trouser cuffs.

Another conventional type of shoe polishing machine utilizes applicatorbrushes which remove polish from a solid bar and apply it to the shoe.Over a period of time, the solid polish bar will harden with the resultthat it is very diflicult to remove the polish from the bar and theeffectiveness of the shine is destroyed.

The present invention is directed to an improved shoe polishing machinein which the polish in the form of an aerosol spray is applied directlyto the polishing brush at specified intervals during the polishingcycle. More specifically, the machine includes a cabinet and twopolishing brushes are mounted in the front of the cabinet adjacent thefloor. One of the brushes is to be used for shining brown shoes, Whilethe second brush is to be utilized for shining black shoes. Pressurizedspray cans of brown and black polish are mounted for rotation in aninclined plane within the cabinet behind each of the brushes. As thecans are rotated, an actuating arm is pivoted inwardly at apredetermined time during the polishing cycle and the discharge nozzleassembly of one of the rotating cans rides on the arm to dischargepolish directly onto the corresponding polishing brush. As the can isbeing rotated as the polish is sprayed, the polish is distributed alongthe entire length of the polishing brush.

The polishing cycle is started by inserting a coin in a coin slot in thefront of the machine and after insertion of the coin, the customerpushes either a brown or black push-button indicating the color of shoeto be polished. Depressing the brown or black button sets u the electriccircuitry to drive a cam drive motor and a second motor to rotate thepolishing brushes. As the cam rotates, it actuates a switch to operate asolenoid to thereby pivot the arm associated with the selected color3,440,676 Patented Apr. 29, 1969 ice to spray that color of polish ontothe corresponding polishing brush.

Continued rotation of the cam will cause a stop switch to be actuatedwhich deenergizes the circuitry and stops the polishing cycle.

The polishing machine of the invention provides a uniformity ofpolishing during the entire period of service of the aerosol spray can.The unit can remain idle for substantial periods of time withoutclogging or hardening of the polish in the spray cans. This results in amore reliable unit and reduces maintenance costs.

As the polish is sprayed directly onto the polishing brush rather thanonto the customers shoes, it eliminates all problems of polishaccidentally contacting the customers stockings or trouser cuffs.

The polish is sprayed from the aerosol can during a specific timedinterval in the polishing cycle, resulting in an accurate metered amountof polish being applied to the polishing brush. Moreover, the aerosolcans can be readily removed when empty and new cans installed with aminimum of labor and without the necessity of removing and cleaningtubes, hoses or the like.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the followingdescription.

The drawing illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carryingout the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the outer cabinet of the polishingmachine of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section taken through the cabinet;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the drive mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the shelf and showing the drive for the canholders;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the adapter for the spray can; and

FIG. 6 is a wiring diagram showing the operation of the machine.

The drawing illustrate a coin-operated shoe polishing machine includinga cabinet 1 having a front wall 2 and a pair of side walls 3. A pair ofpolishing brushes 4 and 5 are mounted beneath the front wall at thebottom of the machine. The brush 4 is adapted to be used for polishingbrown shoes, while the brush 5 is to be used for polishing black shoes.

A conventional coin-slot switch unit 6 is mounted in the front wall 2and is adapted to receive a coin to start the operating cycie of themachine. In addition to the coinslot unit 6, a pair of push-buttons 7and 8 are mounted on the front wall 2 and by depressing the button 7,the circuitry will be actuated to polish brown shoes, and by depressingbutton 8, the circuitry is set up to polish black shoes, as will be morefully described hereinafter.

The polishing brushes 4 and 5 are mounted on a horizontal shaft 9 whichis journalled in housing 10 attached by brackets 11 and 12 to the frontwall 2 and bottom wall 13 of the cabinet.

To rotate the brushes 4 and 5, a pulley 14 is mounted on shaft 9 and isconnected by a belt 15 to a pulley 16 mounted on the drive shaft ofmotor 17 which is supported on the inner surface of the front wall 2.

An inclined shelf 18 is positioned between the side walls 3 within thecabinet 1 and a gear motor 19 is mounted on a bracket 20 which issupported on the shelf 18. Drive shaft 21 of motor 19 is connected by acoupling 22 to a shaft 23 which is journalled within an opening in theshelf 18. The lower end of the shaft 23 carries a pair of pulleys 24 and25.

As best shown in FIG. 4, the pulley 24 is connected by a belt 26 to apulley 27 mounted on shaft 28. Similarly, the pulley is connected by abelt 29 to a pulley 30 mounted on shaft 31. To provide the propertension on belts 26 and 29, a tightening roller 32 rides against each ofthe belts. Each of the rollers 32 is rotatably mounted on the end of anarm 33 which is pivotally connected to the lower surface of the shelf18. Springs 34 serve to bias each of the rollers 32 into engagement withthe respective belt to maintain the proper degree of tension on thebelts.

Shafts 28 and 31 extend upwardly through the shelf 18 and the upper endof each shaft carries a can holder 35 and one can holder supports anaerosol spray can 36 of brown polish to be sprayed on the brush 4 forpolishing brown shoes, while the other can holder 35 supports an aerosolspray can 37 which contains black polish to be sprayed on the brush 5.

The liquid polish in each of the cans 36 and 37 is pressurized by aliquified fluorocarbon gas commonly sold under the name of Freon. Theliquified fluorocarbon gas has a vapor pressure above atmosphericpressure and when the outlet of the can is opened the pressure of thefluorocarbon gas will serve to discharge the polish from the can. As thehead space in the container is increased in volume due to the dischargeof polish, additional quantities of the liquified fluorocarbon gas willbe vaporized to maintain the desired vapor pressure within the can.Examples of liqui fied fluorocarbon gases which can be used as thepressurizing medium are perfiuorocyclobutane, chlorotrifluoromethane,tetrafluoromethane, chloropentafluoroethane, and mixtures thereof.

The aerosol spray cans 36 and 37 are of conventional construction andthe upper end of each can is provided with a nozzle 38 having adischarge orifice 39 which extends generally normal to the axis of thecan. Nozzle 38 is carried by a stem 40 which is slidable within the canand orifice 39 is normally closed by a conventional springloaded valvemechanism, not shown. Surrounding the nozzle 38 is an adapter 41 havingopposed holes 42, one of which is in alignment with the orifice 39. Asbest shown in FIG. 5, a pin 43 is slidably mounted within an opening inthe upper end of the adapter 41 and is maintained in the opening by apair of rings 44 which are located within circumferential grooves in theupper and lower ends of pin 43. When the pin is depressed inwardly, thelower pointed end 45 of the pin will engage a recess or notch in theupper end of nozzle 38, thereby depressing the nozzle and opening thedischarge orifice 39 to spray polish from the can.

The polish from each of the cans 36 and 37 is sprayed onto thecorresponding brushes 4 and during predetermined intervals in thepolishing cycle by arms 46, each of which is pivotally connected to abracket 47 mounted on the shelf 18. Each arm 46 has a generally curvedsurface 48 and as each individual can 36 and 37 is rotated about an axisnormal to shelf 18, the outer end of the pin 43 will ride against theinner surface 48 of arm 46 to thereby open the corresponding dischargeorifice 39 and spray the polish onto the respective polishing brush.

The arms 46 are movable from an inoperative position where the pins 43will not engage the arms 46 as the cans rotate, to an operative positionwhere the pins 43 engage the arms 46. To move the arms from theinoperative to the operative position, a bracket 49 is connected to theouter end of each arm 45 and a spring 50 connects each bracket with theouter end of a plunger 51. Plungers 51 are mounted for reciprocatingmovement in solenoids 52 and 53, respectively. As the plunger 51 isdrawn into the solenoid, the corresponding arm 45 is moved to theoperative position where the pin 43 of the rotating can will engage thearm to thereby spray polish from the can.

The solenoids 52 and 53 are operated by a drive mechanism driven by thegear motor shaft 23. A pinion 54 is mounted on the shaft 23 and drives alarge gear 55 mounted on shaft 56 which is journalled on the shelf 18.Gear 55 carries a cam segment 57 mounted off-center with respect to thegear 55, and a stud 58 is connected to the upper surface of cam 57adjacent the periphery of the cam. As the gear 55 and cam 57 rotate, theedge of the cam engages switches 59 and 60 which are mounted invertically aligned relation on a bracket 61 connected to the shelf 18.Switch 59 is operably connected to solenoid 52, while "switch 60 isconnected to solenoid 53. Depending on whether the brown or blackcircuitry has been energized, the actuation of the switches 59 and 60will operate the respective solenoids 52 and 53 to thereby pivot thecorresponding arm 45 and spray the polish from the corresponding spraycan.

In addition to the switches 59 and 60, a stop switch 62 is mounted onbracket 61 and is adapted to be engaged by the stud 58. Actuation ofswitch 62 will serve to open the electrical circuit and stop thepolishing cycle.

The wiring diagram is shown in FIG. 6. A coin-operated switch 64,arranged to close when a coin is inserted into the coin slot 6, isconnected to one of the power lines 65 in parallel with the normallyclosed stop-switch 62. Closing the normally open contacts of switch 64by inserting a coin in the slot 6 serves to energize the relay 66 andclose the normally open latching contacts 66-1 which serve to maintainenergization of relay 66 when the coin switch 64 is opened. The powersupply through contacts 66-2, Which are also closed through energizationof relay 66, is delayed until the contacts of coin switch 64 return totheir normally open position, thus insuring maximum security of thecoin-receiving mechanism.

Relay contacts 66-2 are connected in parallel with pushbuttons 7 and 8.When the brown pushbutton 7 is depressed by the customer, relay 67 willbe energized to close the normally open contacts 67-1 and 67-2, and theblack pushibutton 8 is rendered inoperative. Closing of the normallyopen contacts 67-1 will energize the drive motor 17 and the gear motor19 to thereby rotate the polishing brushes and start the cam drivemechanism.

As the cam rotates, the cam switch 59 will close and as the contacts67-2 are closed at this time, the solenoid 52 will be energized to pivotthe corresponding arm 46 inwardly. As the cam rotates, the plunger 43will be depressed as it rides against the arm to thereby spray brownpolish from can 36 onto the polishing brush 4. When the cam segment 57moves out of contact with the switch 59, the switch 59 will open tothereby deenergize the solenoid 52 and move the corresponding arm 46outwardly so that polish will not be sprayed from the can 36 as the canrotates.

In a similar manner, if the customer selects to polish black shoes, hedepresses the black button 8, energizing relay 68 through the normallyclosed contacts 67-1 and closing the normally open contacts 68-1 and68-2, simultaneously rendering the brown pushbutton 7 inoperative.Closing of contacts 68-1 serves to actuate the motors 17 and 19 torotate the polishing brushes and start the cam drive mechanism. As thecam rotates, the switch 60 will be closed and as the normally opencontacts 68-2 are closed, the solenoid 53 will be energized to therebymove the corresponding arm 46 inwardly so that the can 37 containing theblack polish will ride into contact with the arm to spray polish ontothe polishing brush 5.

Subsequently, the stud 58 will contact the stop switch 62, closing thenormally open contacts of switch 62 and thereby deenergize relay 66, andopening the normally open contacts 66-2 of relay 66, thus divertingpower through the closed switch 62 and through the closed contacts 66-2keeping relays 67 and 68 energized, and thereby continuing the polishcycle until stud 58 allows the contacts of switch 62 to return to theirnormally open position, thus breaking the circuit and stopping thepolish cycle.

By spraying polish directly onto the polishing brush, the inventioneliminates the inherent disadvantages of a polishing system in which thepolish is applied directly to the customers shoes. Under normaloperation, the cans 36 and 37 will each rotate several times for eachrevolution of the gear 55. The position of the can in its cycle ofrotation when the arm 46 is pulled inwardly is not critical, for as thecan rotates, the plunger 43 will ride against the arm to open the valveand spray the polish onto the corresponding polishing brush. By alteringthe shape of the cam 57, the arm 46 can be moved to its operativeposition more than once for each revolution of the corresponding can sothat more than one spray of polish can be obtained during the cycle, ifdesired.

By employing the polish in liquid form in an aerosol spray can, thepresent invention eliminates the use of tubes or conduits for the polishand thereby eliminates problems of caking or hardening of polish withinthe tubes. Moreover, to eliminate any problem of wax congealing andprecipitating within the cans 36 and 37 in the event the cans aresubjected to temperatures below average room temperatures, an electricheating element 69 is mounted above the platform 18. Heating elements 69are supported from a vertical bracket 70 secured to the base 13 and eachelement 69 is confined within a shield 71 that serves to direct the heatgenerated by the elements toward the respective cans 36 and 37. Theelements 69 act as polish conditioners by warming the polish and therebypreventing the Wax constituents of the polish from settling out in thecans even though the machine may be exposed to relatively low ambienttemperatures. As an added advantage, the heat developed by the elements69 serves to warm the liquified gas propellant in the cans 36 and 37 andmaintain the propellant at high enough pressure for eflicient delivery.

With the pressurized type of discharge utilized in the invention, auniform amount of polish is applied to the brush for each shineregardless of the period of time the spray can has been in service. Asthe cans rotate in an inclined plane about an axis which is ofifset fromthe vertical, the rotation serves to completely mix the liquid polishwithin the cans and further aids in providing a uniform discharge ofpolish onto the brushes.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as beingwithin the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out anddistinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as theinvention.

We claim:

1. In a shoe polishing machine, a supporting structure, a polishingbrush mounted for rotation on said supporting structure, a container tocontain polish and having a discharge opening enclosed by a movabledischarge mechanism, drive means for moving the container and saiddischarge mechanism in a given path of travel with respect to thesupporting structure, the axis of said discharge opening being inalignment with said brush during at least a portion of said path oftravel, and operating means mounted on the supporting structure andlocated in the path of travel of said discharge mechanism for operatingsaid discharge mechanism and discharging the polish through said openingand onto the brush during said portion of said path of travel.

2. The polishing machine of claim 1, and including means for mountingthe container for rotation about an axis disposed at an angle to thevertical, and said drive means acting to rotate said container aboutsaid axis.

3. The polishing machine of claim 1 in which said container contains amixture of liquid polish and a liquified gas, said liquified gas havinga vapor pressure greater than atmospheric pressure.

4. The polishing machine of claim 3 in which the liquified gas is aliquified fluorocarbon gas.

5. The polishing machine of claim 1 in which said operating meanscomprises an elongated member movable between an inoperative and anoperative position, said elongated member, When in the operativeposition, being engaged by said discharge mechanism as said container ismoved in its path of travel to thereby open said discharge opening anddischarge polish onto said brush.

6. The polishing machine of claim 5, and including cam means operablyconnected with said elongated member to move said elongated memberbetween said inoperative and operative positions at predeterminedintervals during the polishing cycle.

7. In a shoe polishing machine, a supporting structure, a brush mountedfor rotation on said supporting structure and adapted to be contacted bythe shoe to be shined, means for rotating said brush, a container tocontain polish and having a discharge opening and having a movableclosure mechanism for selectively opening and closing said dischargeopening, said container having its longitudinal axis disposed at anacute angle to the horizontal, means for rotating said container aboutan axis normal to said longitudinal axis, closure operating meansmounted for movement between an operative and inoperative position, saidclosure operating means, when in said operative position, being locatedwithin the circle inscribed by said closure mechanism as the containeris rotated whereby said closure operating means engages and opens saidclosure mechanism to spray polish on said brush, and said closureoperating means, when in the inoperative position, being outside of thecircle inscribed by said closure mechanism as the container is rotatedwhereby said closure mechanism is not engaged by said closure operatingmeans during rotation of the container, and means for moving the closureoperating means from the inoperative to the operative positions atpredetermined times during the polishing cycle.

8. The polishing machine of claim 7, in which the closure operatingmeans comprises a generally curved arm pivotally connected to thesupporting structure.

9. The polishing machine of claim 8 in which said means to move saidclosure operating means comprises a solenoid operably connected to thefree end of said arm.

10. The shoe polishing machine of claim 7, and including electricalheating means disposed above the path of rotation of said container forheating the container to maintain the polish in a Warm condition andsegregation of the constituents of the polish.

11. In a shoe polishing machine, a cabinet, a pair of brushes mountedfor rotation with respect to the cabinet, a pair of containers tocontain polish, each container having a discharge opening enclosed bymovable closure mechanism, first drive means for rotating said brushes,second drive means for rotating the containers in a plane inclined withrespect to the horizontal with the axis of the discharge opening of eachcontainer being in alignment with one of said brushes during at least aportion of the rotation of said container, and operating means for eachcontainer and engageable with the respective closure mechanism foropening said discharge opening and discharging polish'onto therespective brush during said portion of rotation of the container.

12. The shoe polishing machine of claim 11, and including a pair ofselector members mounted on the cabinet with the first of said selectormembers operably connected to the operating means associated with thefirst container and the second selector member operably connected to theoperating means associated with the second container, operation of saidfirst selector member acting to operate the operating means associatedwith said first container to thereby discharge polish from said firstcontainer, and operation of said second selector member acting tooperate said operating means associated with said second container todischarge polish from said second container.

13. The shoe polishing machine of claim 12, and including means forrendering one of said selector members inoperative when the other ofsaid selector members is operated.

14. The machine of claim 11 in which each operating means comprises anoperating member movable from a first to a second position, the closuremechanism of the corresponding container adapted to engage the operatingmember when in said first position, and cam drive means operablyconnected to said operating means for moving said operating memberbetween said first and second positions during the polishing cycle.

15. The shoe polishing machine of claim 1, and including heating meansfor heating the container to main tain the polish in a warm conditionand segregation of the constituents of the polish.

16. The shoe polishing machine of claim 11, and including coin operatedswitch means having a first position and a second position, controlswitch means having a first position and a second position, an electriccircuit connecting the first position of said coin operated switch meansand the second position of said control switch means with said first andsecond drive means, an operating circuit connecting the second positionof said coin operated switch means and the first position of saidcontrol 8 switch means, and a timing circuit including timing switchmeans for holding the control switch means in the second position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,066,338 12/1962 Nappi 153l X3,309,726 3/1967 Moore et a1. l532 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,407,040 6/1965France.

DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R.

